Flight of the Phoenix
by Bret Baxley
Summary: From Elliott's point of view.
1. Chapter 1

Flight of the Phoenix

(Disclaimer: I own nothing from the book or movie. I am making nothing from this except the sheer joy of writing.)

Odd Man Out

Elliott woke up.

For a moment he couldn't remember where he was until a trickle of perspiration ran down the side of his face. Wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, he looked around recognizing the inside of the fuselage. The reality of his situation came back to him and he shook his head in disgusted realization.

The plane, he had hopped a ride onto, had crashed in the Gobi Desert and now he and the others were stranded in the middle of nowhere, too far from civilization to get help and cut off from any form of communication.

It was early morning and no one was awake but him. It was already hot, but the day promised to be hotter as it progressed. Elliott walked outside and moved over to a dune where he dug a small hole in the sand and relieved himself, covering it when he finished. Turning back around he looked at the silver fuselage laying on its belly in the white sand. It looked more like a gutted fish than the remnants of a powerful airplane that it once was.

These past few days, while the others either slept or argued over water, he had spent his time looking over the craft. The thought of water caused him to lick his cracked lips and he headed for the plastic container that held the valuable clear liquid.

A.J. was already there pouring himself some into a metal cup made from a can. The co-pilot eyed Elliott disdainfully. To him Elliott had been the extra weight that had caused them to not be able to fly over the sandstorm. Never mind that that they had taken on heavy steel tubing and huge metal couplings as well as all of the supplies and tools used on an oil rig. Blame had to be somewhere and the eccentric little man fit the bill. No matter that he was a small man with a slight build, he was the unexpected passenger with the odd demeanor.

"How long you been up, Elliott?" A.J. asked him.

"I just got up and I'd like some water, if you don't mind," Elliott answered him in his soft breathy voice.

"Do it yourself," A.J. barked, as he walked away.

Elliott was fully aware of A.J.'s feeling towards him but chose to ignore the muscular black man's sneer. Pouring some water into a cup, he thirstily drank it down.

Sammi, the half Mexican who prided himself as the cook, fished some cans of peaches out of a box and opened two of them. "Hey Elliott!" Sammi called out.

Elliott, who was heading to a ladder that had been made from some steel tubing and was leaning against the wing, stopped to look. "Yes, Sammi?" he questioned, as he wiped his wire framed glasses with a handkerchief.

"Would you like some peaches for breakfast?"

"You know, I would much rather prefer the hearts of palm, if it's alright with you."

"Suit yourself," Sammi shrugged, as he reached for a can. Opening it, he handed it to the smaller man with a spoon. "You've been up on that plane for days. What are you looking for?"

"Just looking," Elliott gave him a small grin as he sat down on a crate to eat, and watched with curiosity as each of the crew slowly came out to drink their ration of water.

Towns was the Captain who had an arrogance about him that Elliott found distasteful. He had started to not let Elliott aboard as they were preparing to leave. He also refused to listen to Elliott when he tried to tell him they were too heavy to fly over the sandstorm and should go back. It was, after all, **HIS** plane and **HE** was Captain and **HE** wasn't about to let some little book worm, pip-squeak, know-it-all tell **HIM** how to fly **HIS** plane.

Ian was an upper class Brit who looked down on others because they were seemingly not of his social standing. In his words he was "... a very important man ..." He worked for the oil company who had sponsored the drilling. Speaking five languages, including several of the local dialects in and around Beijing, China, he was the perfect representative. He was also vain, selfish, very wealthy and extremely arrogant.

Kelly was the beautiful redheaded foreman of the oil rig. She had been raised by an oilman who had also been a foreman of several rigs. But she was also a lady. When she saw Elliott, she gave him a small smile.

After finishing his breakfast Elliott climbed on top of the airplane and began to seriously assess the damage before it go too hot.

"What the hell is he doing up there?" Towns asked both A.J. and Sammi, as they dined on peaches. Shrugging, they watched Elliott scribble on a small scratch pad and mutter softly to himself.

"I think the heats gotten to him," Jeremy spoke as he adjusted his eye patch. Jeremy was one of the laborers on the rig. "Hey, Sammi! You got any cottage cheese to go with these peaches?" he joked.

"Very funny," Sammi chuckled, giving him a sideways glance.

As the sun rose in the sky it beat down mercilessly on the white sand and the silver fuselage making it not just unbearable but dangerous to be out in it. Shortly Elliott descended to seek shelter under the parachutes that had been draped and tied up to the fuselage to give them some relief from the sun. It was amazing how much cooler it was under the shade, not that it was cool, but at least they weren't out in the sun. Elliott continued his assessment of the broken plane from under the wing measuring and calculating.

Liddle and Davis, two other laborers, played checkers while Ian dozed. For the most part Elliott stayed out of everyone's way as he mumbled softly to himself looking over the calculations on his paper. When Kyle had wandered off and his body later found sandblasted by yet another sand storm he kept his distance from the rest even when they buried him along side Dr. Gerber and Newman, who had both been killed in the landing.

* * *

Finally on the fifth day he made his announcement amid a scuffle between Towns and Jeremy over water.

"I can get us out of here," he told them. "We can build another plane and fly out of here." It was met with disapproval but he persevered and explained his idea to them. "If we work at night we will perspire less and drink less water," he told them. "If you stick tightly to my schedule we can be out of here in less than a week."

It took Liddle's leaving and return before they were convinced it could be done and so they adhered to the funny little man's schedule, despite Towns' and Ian's protest to wait for help.

Small amounts of fuel were poured into metal containers that circled the plane and lit to provide light.

By Elliott's calculations part of the right wing could be cut off and made to fit the left side if it were turned over and placed just so along with several modifications to make a new body for the plane. They'd all have to ride on the wings so he had configured small windows to protect each person and to cut down on drag. By the time the sun began to appear the next morning the crew had managed to fashion together part of the body. Soon it would be too hot to work so they stopped to try to rest.

Making his way into the fuselage where he had fashioned a bed for himself, Elliott laid down to get some sleep. Shortly Kelly made her way in to talk to him.

"I am truly impressed, Elliott," she said sitting down next to him. "I had no idea you were so brilliant. I would have never thought of building a plane out of the wreckage."

Elliott, who was laying on his back, looked her over. She wore a pair of faded gray coveralls with the zipper opened in the front. He watched a drop of perspiration trickle down the curve of her breast and disappear behind her dirty yellow top.

"Thank you, Kelly. I'm truly flattered," he grinned at her. There was a silence between them. Elliott would have been perfectly happy laying there looking at her but Kelly began to feel uncomfortable.

"Well," she cleared her throat, "I'd better let you get some sleep," and she started to leave.

"Tell me about yourself, Kelly," Elliott asked her as he put his hand behind his head to get comfortable. It wasn't that he was all that interested, he was enjoying the view.

And so, for the next ten minutes, she told him about her family and her hometown, her brothers and the business her father started and on and on and on she went. Elliott, who was not really listening, kept saying, "Uh-huh. Uh-huh," to her as though he were but in reality he was watching as perspiration trickled down her slender neck. If he had been a bolder man he would have sat up and kissed her neck tasting her sweet saltiness. But if he did that she would have been repulsed and it would have evoked the wrath of the other men. Besides, he was not a molester of women, just an admirer.

"Well, I'm going to try to get some rest," she finally told him. "It was very nice talking to you, Elliott. Sleep well." She gave him her best Kelly smile and was gone.

Shaking his head he watched her leave. Under different circumstances he'd would have been friendlier, much more friendlier. She had always been nice to him, even though he had showed up out of the blue. In fact, she had been his only friend, as the others had been either too busy or too cliquish to bother with him.


	2. Chapter 2

Flight of the Phoenix

(Again I don't own anything.)

I am in charge

Things were going well. The new body of the plane had been reconfigured, but before they had started, the fuel had been drained into several metal barrels and stored together a short distance away. The generator, filled to capacity with some of the fuel, was started by Davis in order to supply electricity for the many tools they would be using. Now the task that stood before them was removing the broken wing. Part of the landing gear had been found when Towns went to search for Liddle and was being reattached to the underside of the good wing. When he finished, A.J. then proceeded to cut through the metal remnant of the broken wing in order for them to be able to mate the new wing to the plane.

Elliott and Towns were on top of the fuselage watching A.J. cutting away the stump of the broken wing with an electric saw. Two strong willed men with equally strong egos, they began to argue. This was not just a disagreement, it was more like two bulls fighting for dominance.

"The wing has to be removed at a precise angle or it won't fit correctly!" Elliott yelled.

"I know that, Elliott," their noses nearly touching "A.J. knows what he's doing!" Towns yelled back, clearly irritated at the smaller man, who dared to supersede his supposed sense of authority.

"It should have been removed by now! We're already behind schedule!"

"We're going as fast as we can!"

No one noticed the oil soaked rags that laid on top of the fuel barrels. No one noticed that the cool night breeze had caught some of the sparks from the fire and deposited them on the rags. No one saw the rags ignite. No one suspected what would happen next.

The explosion was so powerful that both Elliott and Towns were blown off the top of the plane landing several feet away on the sand with a thud. Had there been a city or a village close by they would have seen the fireball as it rose from the dunes. Luckily no one was seriously injured. All they could do was try to protect the remaining fuel and wait until morning to assess the damage.

Wandering through pieces of burned paper and charred barrels, all they could do was protect the remaining fuel barrels by storing them behind a dune and well away from the work area. Now there was no choice, they had to work during the day to conserve what fuel was left.

* * *

The heat was searing as the day wore on but the crew made the best of it. After mating the recycled wing to the opposite side of the plane (not withstanding the near accident when the wing broke the rusted chains that held it and very nearly took out Sammi) everyone seemed to be in a celebratory mood – everyone, that is, except for Elliott.

To Elliott, the micro-managing obsessive genius he was, this activity was a waste of time and energy. No one seemed to care if they ever got out. Never had he felt so socially ostracized as he felt right now. Didn't they realize that dancing around made them hot and perspire more? Their water was limited and would soon be precious enough to kill for. There would be enough time to celebrate after they flew out of this hell hole and made it to safety..

Watching from just inside the fuselage, he could see Kelly dancing with Towns to a tune from A.J.'s CD player, a beautiful smile stretched across her tanned face. Secretly he wished it was him dancing with her, that it was him she laughed with as she spun, her ginger hair catching a few rays of the sun.

Shaking his head in disgust he retreated into the fuselage to continue his calculations, changing a few specifications on the small face shields to make sure they were aerodynamic. The force of the wind coming across the wings could not be compromised or it could seriously hinder the flight of the plane.

As he tried to write in his notepad he found his foot tapping to the music. It was difficult to keep his mind on the problem he was trying to solve. Taking off his glasses he rubbed his eyes and sighed.

"Elliott?" he heard Kelly's voice behind him so he turned to look at her. "Come and join us," she invited.

"Oh," he looked at her pleasantly surprised. "Ah, well thank you, Kelly, but I really need to keep working. The sooner we finish the plane, the sooner we can get out of this awful place and back to civilization."

"Yes, you're right, ofcourse, but sometimes you have to let off some steam. I mean, we really did something great today. All of us. Even you, Elliott. If it wasn't for your knowledge and skill we'd have no hope. Thank you, Elliott."

Her warm expression made him smile. "Thank you, Kelly," he nodded, touched by her gratitude. Under her gray coveralls she wore a dirty pink tank top that complimented her lightly tanned cheeks.

"Well, come out if you feel like it. I'll save a dance for you," she smiled sweetly and left. Elliott watched her walk away and smiled to himself. She was a sweetheart and he really liked her. Like her? Everything in him wanted to hump her like a dog. _"What if I did?"_ he thought. _"What if I threw her on the ground and humped her till I was blue in the face? What would she do?" _

"Ridiculous," he scoffed, shaking his head as though the thoughts would tumble out his ear and crash on the floor. Had it been the local tavern he wouldn't hesitate dancing with her. The thought of it aroused him and he closed his eyes. Taking deep breaths he closed his eyes controlling himself. Kelly was his friend, not his lover, although he'd be happy enough being her lover. But now was not the time nor the place.

Shortly they were all back to work on the new plane. Using Elliott's new modifications, the crew set out to put the face shields on the wings and secure safety straps for each person. Elliott's patience was beginning to wear thin. The "crew" worked slowly taking several breaks, which was a constant irritation to him. If they hadn't spent the greater part of the morning partying they would have been done long before now. As he scolded them, their resentment for him seemed to grow but he ignored their looks and remarks.

As they took another break Raddy, the only one of the workers that, according to Elliott, had a lick of sense, found some black paint and wrote the new name of the plane on its side – PHOENIX. As far as Elliott was concerned there was no need for a name but he said nothing. His concern was the plane and whether or not it'd be able to fly and if there was enough room for a take off.

With his notebook in hand he walked the length they had that was not barred by dunes. It was short the necessary length, dangerously short, for a take off. If the right speed was not achieved by the time it made it to a certain point they would plunge to their deaths over a cliff. Looking over the side of the cliff he felt dizzy. There was nothing below but jagged sandstone.

"Oh, dear God!" he exclaimed as his legs collapsed under him

* * *

A kind of peace came over the crew as the day wore on. They were all tired from their days work. Towns was finishing up tightening some bolts on the engines as he talked with Kelly, or rather flirted., as a cool breeze blew in from somewhere, making them feel somewhat better, when the peace was shattered by A.J.

"OKAY I NEED EVERYONE OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!!" he demanded loudly

When they went to see what was wrong, A.J. stood holding an empty plastic jerry can in one hand and a pistol in the other.

Elliott heard the ruckus from inside the fuselage and could see A.J. as he confronted the group, waving the pistol threatening in the air.. Now the ball was in his park. Walking out he gave him a stern look.

"Planning on shooting someone, A.J.?" All eyes were on Elliott. "While you all have been sleeping I've been working," he informed them sternly. "And, therefore, I require more water."

"Couldn't you have just ask?" Towns stuck his face in Elliott's.

"Because **I** am in charge of building **MY** plane and **I** don't need to ask anyone for anything," Elliott scolded the Captain, emphasizing his dominance. .

"We could all die of thirst." Towns growled, as he grabbed his shirt and shook him. He was the pilot and he as in charge, how dare Elliott attempt to supersede him.

Throwing his notebook in Towns face Elliott shoved him away. "You **NEED** me, Towns," Elliott pointed, his voice was one of warning. "You all need me," he waved his finger in their faces. "Everyone here is dispensable, except for me. Don't forget that," he finalized loudly.

Looking them over, his point being made, he returned to the inside of the fuselage.

* * *

"I can't believe he said that to you," A.J. said to Towns as they sat at a table made from metal storage chests and doors. "Let's kick his ass."

"Yeah, that pipsqueak isn't the boss of us," Sammi scoffed.

"No," Towns shook his head. "Not yet. Let's wait until we get the plane built before we do anything."

"You wouldn't!" Kelly gasped.

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Towns cut his eyes at her.


End file.
